Wood in Architectonic Identity
- An Overview of Wood-based Architecture
Development in Kosovo
Arta Januzi-Cana
Abstract:
Traditional wooden architecture is a valuable heritage of
Kosovo, developed in relation to local climate, geographical
position, political circumstances, diversity of cultural influences,
material accessibility and skills in construction techniques.
In this context, this paper investigates building typologies in two
terms: traditional building systems and applied to contemporary
structures, by analyzing and classifying their structural elements
as well as interpreting the architectural values. A brief
chronological description is given, and detailed explications
follow. Technical details of construction methods and figures are
presented based on a literature review and field survey of both
historical and contemporary timber architecture. Furthermore,
wooden decorative handcraft of Kosovo popular craftsman,
which takes a considerable part of traditional house, is described.
In conclusion, this paper asserts some clear results that are
categorized, therefore subsequent suggestions are provided.
Suggestions are addressed toward the significance of traditional
and contemporary timber architecture, the importance of
preservation and further development of wood-based
application.
Keywords: Wooden/Timber Construction; Traditional/Vernacular
Architecture; Local Identity

Arta Januzi-Cana, MSc., PhD Candidate, IDAUP International Doctorate
Architecture and Urban Planning, Polis University, Albania and University of
Ferrara, Italy, e-mail: [email protected]
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Wood in Architectonic Identity - An Overview of Wood-based Architecture
Development in Kosovo
Introduction
Wood, as the oldest construction material, is one of the foremost
used materials throughout the world, likewise in Kosovo up till
the beginning of industrialized era. Kosovo is located in SouthEast Europe, in the center of Balkan Peninsula1, therefore, its
architectural heritage shares similarities with the region, in the
context of building techniques, use of materials and architectural
expression. Regarding to traditional wooden application,
Bouzek states that remains of constructions in the Balkans and in
Central Europe attest that this art of constructing houses was
generally used in large parts of Europe.2 However, Kosovo
maintains its identifiable rich architectural features as a
reflection of Albanian culture of living in Kosovo. From the
middle of the 20th century, with the development of the
construction industry and the availability of clay brick and
concrete as modern materials, the use of wood has declined
significantly. Today, very few contemporary low rise nonresidential buildings with timber as the main construction
material can be found in different urban and rural areas. There
are several large-span constructed buildings with laminate wood
technology during '80s and only one large-span building,3
constructed in the year 2001. Since then, no significant tendency
toward wood-based application is noticed.
In this context, this paper investigates and illustrates several
wooden building typologies in two terms: traditional building
systems and applied contemporary structures, by analyzing and
1
Institute for Spatial Planning, Spatial Plan of Kosova 2010 - 2020+, Prishtina:
Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, 2010.
2 Jan Bouzek, "Wooden Architecture: Combining different techniques", Histria
Antiqua, Vol.19, No.19, Croatia, 2010, pp.83-87.
3 Internationally donated investment after the last war in Kosovo
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Arta Januzi-Cana
classifying their structural elements as well as interpreting their
architectural values.
Traditional wooden architecture
Traditional architecture in Kosovo is interpreted as Vernacular
Architecture, which implies, among other definitions, the use of
local materials and experience, as Rudofsky defines it:
"architecture without an architect or architecture without
pedigree".4 Vernacular architecture in Kosovo has been
developed under the impact of different natural-geographical
and socio-economic factors taking place since the 18th century,
especially during 19th. 5 6 In traditional buildings of Kosovo,
wood construction takes a considerable part along the
application of stone and mud brick. Wood construction elements
have been used as support structure or in combination with
masonry, as reinforcement. They have mainly been applied in
constructing one or more story individual urban and rural house
buildings, but are also found in other facilities such as large street
bazaars, so-called "Çarshia".
Hence, this study focuses on dwelling buildings as the main
typology, signifying the presence of wooden structural and nonstructural elements, as well as interior ornamental amenities.
Such architectural systems and elements are used all over the
country, sharing a unified character of utilization that
demonstrates a long tradition and excellence of local
4
Bernard Rudofsky, Architecture Without Architects: A Short Story to Non-Pedigreed
Architecture, New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press, 1987 (1964), pp.7.
5 Branislav KojiĆ, Seoska arhitektura i rurizam, Beograd: Gradevinska knjiga, 1973.
6 Fejaz Drançolli, Kulla Shqiptare, Kosovo: Rezniqi, 2001.
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Wood in Architectonic Identity - An Overview of Wood-based Architecture
Development in Kosovo
construction mastery.7 However, they maintain individuality in
terms of volume, layout and facade. There are two main types of
vernacular houses in Kosovo: traditional urban and rural houses.
The main difference between them consists of the general size,
building techniques and the most important, indoor decoration,
enriched with traditional aesthetic and detailed ornamentation
with hand carved wood.8
Traditional Urban Houses
Traditional urban architecture has been developed
predominantly during the 19th century until usage of new
modern materials such as reinforced concrete were introduced.
Materials with a mixed structure of wood, stone and brick were
used to achieve specific architectural features, such as:
constructive, functional, and artistic-aesthetic.9 Houses are
mostly single family houses, one to two stories distributed in the
urban layout of the city. There is no classification of urban houses
regarding the wooden structural elements, however, two main
types in terms of structural elements in the walls are observed:
timber frame with masonry infill and combined construction
where horizontal timber is embedded into bearing masonry
walls.
Timber Frame House is a building system which existed
throughout history around the world to the present, with
masonry infill by bricks, stones or adobe (fig.1). Timber elements
in this typology provide the framework for the infill. Usually the
7
Flamur Doli, Shkolla kosovare e mjeshtrit popullor shqiptar. Kosovo: Zëri, 1993.
Emin Riza, Qyteti dhe banesa qytetare shqiptare shek. XV-XIX, Albania: Dita 2000,
2009.
9 Fejaz Drançolli, Destruction of Albanian Kulla, Kosovo: Rezniqi, 2004.
8
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masonry basement walls are made of stone or brick with adobe,
strengthen by horizontal wooden lintel. They are load-bearing
elements, thus serve as foundation while the upper floor applies
timber-framed system. The frames are constructed of studs,
usually 14x14cm and braced by diagonals and horizontals
providing lateral support. Diagonals are placed on the corner
supporting posts of the building. They are assembled with joints
cut by hand and connected with nails. The walls are enclosed by
plates on top of which beams and joists are placed in 40-55cm
intervals. The structure of roofs is also constructed by wooden
frames.
Figure 1. Timber framed house in Kosovo
In general, the frame constructed house consists of four main
structural parts:
- Masonry ground floor or basement
- Timber framed floor
- Timber framed walls of the floors
- Timber framed roof
Combined Construction House is a typology developed during
the 18th and the19th century, incorporating the rich traditional
Albanian culture and art in its composition, therefore has a
special value within entire national architecture. These types of
buildings are single family houses with variations of sizes in
relation to the family social-economic status. In these one to two
story houses, dwelling is organized in the upper story while the
ground floor is comprised of supplementing areas (fig.2).
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Wood in Architectonic Identity - An Overview of Wood-based Architecture
Development in Kosovo
Figure 2. Combined structure house Kosovo
In this typology the main construction materials are stone
with mortar and horizontal timbers embedded into load-bearing
masonry walls. These walls are usually 65-80 cm thick while in
the upper floor layout is more flexible with thinner timber
framed walls, which are plastered on both sides, while the
exterior walls usually maintain the same thickness. The general
parts of the house comprised of wooden elements are the
flooring, the open or closed porch which is supported by wooden
posts, wooden jetty (so called Erker) and the wooden framed
roof.
Similar building systems are found in several traditional
urban street bazaars - Çarshia (fig.3), located in the center of big
cities of Kosovo. They offered functions of handicraft, trade and
administration of the time.10 Individual facilities were composed
of one to two stories, with a discrete architectural expression
applying wood, stone and adobe in their structure.
Figure 3. Urban Entity Grand Bazaar (Gjakova)
10
Ministry of Youth and Sport, 2015 [Online] Available from: http://dtk.rksgov.net/tkk_objekti_en.aspx?id=1259. [Accessed: March 2015].
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Main wooden structures observed are: sole plate as base of
vertical structural elements, bay windows or jetty, posts, beams,
roof structure, window and door structure and related functional
elements, all composed with rich popular art.
Structural elements
Beams are supported by the bearing walls on the shorter side of
the space and the reinforcement orthogonal beam. They have a
rectangular or square section around 25x25cm, placed at 50 70cm intervals, displayed on the ground floor (fig.4.) The
secondary beams, 14x20cm section, lay on the primary beams
and are covered with planking. When the upper floor layout
differed from the ground floor, primary beams were extended
creating cantilevered structure bearing the load from the upper
floor (fig.5). The elements are placed with grooved assembling
and sometimes with nails too.
Figure 4. Timber beams
Figure 5. Timber jetty; drawings on the right by F. Kuleta and A. Gashi
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Wood in Architectonic Identity - An Overview of Wood-based Architecture
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A very special a wooden structure of a house is a large bay
window or jetty (locally called Erker) (Fig.6) facing the gardens.
Such application enabled more flexibility in the upper floor as
inner space or supporting the open or closed porch. It is executed
by super-positioning of several cantilevered joists creating an
impressive forming structure with original and ingenious
features.11
Figure 6. Wooden jetty drawings on the left (Doli, 2001) , the rest by
the author
Each function of everyday life of the family was carefully
designed within the composition of the house and executed with
care and elegance. Such example is the extended structure as part
of the kitchen, enabling the disposal of used water which flowed
into the garden of the house (fig.7). Doors and windows are
beautifully composed with wooden elements as supplementary
functions.
Figure 7. Wooden exterior structures
Posts have square sections, around 20x20cm supporting open or
closed porches and the structure of the roof. The open/closed
11
Flamur Doli, Traditional popular architecture of Kosova, Kosovo: Flamur Doli,
2001.
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porches or the extension of the upper floor lay on the sole plate
supported by the posts, elements which are assembled together
with lap joint or half lap joint. Wooden posts stand on the
polygonal or rectangular stone base (fig.8). On the upper floor,
in cases of larger houses with longer distances between the
bearing walls, there are one or more posts around the center of
the area in order to support horizontally the separating thinner
walls.
Figure 8. Wooden posts
Interior decoration
As it was already mentioned, since the living area of the
family is organized in the upper floor, it is much more detailed
in comparison to the ground floor, where supplementary
functions of the family are positioned. The floor is particularly
enriched with the semi open or closed wooden porches which
are utilized during summer season, extending the area of the
dwelling. It is very important to emphasize the artistic work of
popular art inside the houses. A number of functional and
decorative amenities are made of hand-crafted wood with an
excellent composition of floral and geometrical symbols, thus
giving the footprint of the identity of the time and culture of
Kosovo art.
A typical example of the artistry of the ceiling work is shown
in the following figure (fig.9). Different handicraft wooden
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Wood in Architectonic Identity - An Overview of Wood-based Architecture
Development in Kosovo
elements are integrated in the living area, such as shelves, niche,
cupboard etc. (fig.10).
Figure 9. Wooden handicraft ceiling decor
Figure 10. Wooden handicraft elements in the living area
Traditional Rural Houses
The old traditional rural construction in Kosovo is also well
known by its habitation buildings as a result of the inherited local
art of mastery. Rural buildings are organized in two stories
where the above level communicates the dynamics of the
composition. Materials used for traditional rural dwellings were
conjuncture of stone as dominant construction material, wood
and adobe. Typologies of rural dwellings are generated through
techniques, composition and aesthetics achieved from the local
masters during the 18th and the 19th century.12 In this paper,
typologies with wooden components are elaborated,
respectively: dwelling with balcony, dwelling porch and Kulla (a
12
Fejaz Drançolli, Kulla Shqiptare, Kosovo: Rezniqi, 2001.
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fortified house) with wooden structural components and small
scale supplementary wooden facilities within the complex of the
house such as corn-sheds.
Dwelling with balcony is a rectangular shape house in two
stories. External stone walls are horizontally reinforced by
wooden bond beams tying walls together. The upper floor is
supported by the walls and two or more wooden columns. The
column is consisted by the stone base, the body and the wooden
capital. The joists laying on the capital hold the separating walls
of the upper floor. The covered balcony is the central part of the
main facade, constructed entirely by wooden elements (fig.11).
Figure 11. Dwelling with wooden balcony (Drançolli, 2001)
Dwelling with porch is characterized by the open or semi open
wooden porch on the first floor. The porch was constructed from
wooden elements assembled together (fig.12). The building
technique is the same as the one with balcony, however the
difference lies on the size and the functional organizing of the
first floor. The porch served also for the maintaining and
processing the goods of the family. From the outside, the "guest
room" - Oda, which served for male guests, is accessed directly
by the wooden stairs, while the other parts of the house were
accessed by the secondary wooden stairs inside the house.
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Wood in Architectonic Identity - An Overview of Wood-based Architecture
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Figure 12. Dwelling with wooden porch (Drançolli, 2001)
Kulla - is a fortified Albanian dwelling where latest building
techniques and protection elements were synthesized with the
culture of living during 18th and 19th century, as Drançolli states:
"Albanian kulla applies Albanian traditional elements which can
be followed from the ancient times till the first decade of the 19th
century".13
Figure 13. Wooden elements of Kulla and Corn sheds in the complex;
drawing in lower row (Doli, 2001)
Kulla has a rectangular plan, two to four stories. The basement
was used as barn for sheltering the animals, the first level served
as storage and "house of fire", on the upper floor was Oda, or the
guest room. The buildings near the wood resources, utilized
13
Fejaz Drançolli, Destruction of Albanian Kulla, Kosovo: Rezniqi, 2004.
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wood for structural elements as well as for decoration inside or
small facilities for the family. Floors were constructed by wooden
elements supported by exterior walls and the wooden central
post inside the building that supports the separating walls as
well. As shown in the figure 13, several wooden elements are
integrated in the composition of Kulla dwelling: wooden floors,
external covered stairs, main door; Kulla types with wooden
porch; Corn sheds.
Contemporary Timber Architecture
Towards contemporary architecture development in Kosovo, a
particularized tendency of timber-based application is noticed
during '80s. It was the period during which urbanization and
economy was growing in Kosovo, recently before the beginning
of the collapse of Federal Yugoslavia formation. Projects of the
public character dominated and were in correspondence with
developments in the region, regarding the architectural
expression and applied building technology. Hence, only four
large-scale timber buildings are observed, constructed by
laminated timber structure, three of which were executed during
80's while the forth, in 2001. General information is orally
obtained since, no documentation was found in the cities'
archives.
Large span building in Peja (fig.14) was part of a automotive
engineering complex of factories. It was a restaurant with all its
facilities for the workers of the enterprise. It is a 30x30m span,
7m height (as observed), covered with prefabricated glue
laminated timber structure. It was designed and produced by a
enterprise from Bosnia and assembled by a Slovenian enterprise
in 1984. The hall is covered by eight main beams, four of them in
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Wood in Architectonic Identity - An Overview of Wood-based Architecture
Development in Kosovo
the corner are reinforced by four other smaller. The main beams
are connected on the top by a circular metal hinge, while the
reinforcement beams are connected to the main beam by metal
plates and screw bolts. Structural elements are placed in 5m
distance from each other. They are supported by reinforced
concrete base.
Figure 14. Large span glue laminated timber structure, Pejë
Sport facility in Vushtrri (fig.15) was constructed in 1984 under
similar social circumstances, by the same enterprises as of the
aforementioned building. The facility is comprised by two
spaces, both covered by glue laminated timber structure. The
first one is the entrance, covered by four linear beams, supported
by columns, while the main hall is approximately 50x50m, 9.0 m
height. Ten pairs of linear timber beams cover the hall, in regular
5m intervals. The pairs are connected to the top by means of
metal hinges. The whole structure is supported by reinforced
concrete base. The roof lays on top of the secondary timber
beams connected to the main structure by metal beam hangers.
Figure 15. Large span glulam timber structure, Vushtrri
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Primary school in Qabër (fig.16). In 2001, initiated by an
international organization, a new school was constructed in the
entirely destroyed Qabra village during the last war. The project
was designed, prefabricated and assembled by international
companies (from Bosnia, as orally informed). The structure is
two span glulam timber supported by timber columns which are
reinforced by square section timber beams and metal ropes in X
and V shape. External masonry walls are reinforced by vertical
and horizontal timber 14x14cm elements and metal ropes in X
shape. The structure altogether is visible and part of the warm
ambiance of the school.
Figure 16. Glue laminated timber structure, Qabër
Discussion and Conclusion
The main objective of this study is to provide an overview based
on the investigated wood-based architecture in Kosovo and
related literature review in terms of architectural and structural
features, subsequently emphasize the role of wood as natural
and renewable material in Kosovo architectonic identity.
In vernacular wooden architecture of Kosovo, the impress of
the popular master prevails, where the perfection of technique
and the sense of local art has been developed and conserved
throughout the ages. The existence itself of numerous wooden
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Wood in Architectonic Identity - An Overview of Wood-based Architecture
Development in Kosovo
houses avouch their technical stability, thus proves the firmness
of wood construction when properly attended.
Contemporary timber architecture is enclosed by its public
destination. The large-span laminated timber buildings analyzed
on site demonstrate stability at the same time structural
distinctness as part of inner architectural expression. Necessity
for public large-span buildings, advanced building technology
of the time and international authority initiation are some of the
factors that identify the character of the buildings.
Some results asserted:
- A firm time gap between the end of traditional wooden
construction and contemporary timber-based application is
apparent
-While traditional architecture is identified by dwelling
typology; the new architecture is recognized by its public
character
-There is a lack of tendency towards timber application in
residential or other sector, therefore a lack of confidence in
timber application is evident
- The expertise of local mastery in timber application is clearly
heading toward extinction
Vernacular wooden architecture requires more professional
attention and further study of its technical and artistic features,
therefore, the know-how needs to pass on to the new generations
to provide required and necessary knowledge for proper
maintenance on the remained typologies. Local timber
architecture needs to be further explored and new techniques can
derive based and inspired by traditional mastership, and
professional academic support. Finally, by using local resources,
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local industry needs to be supported and encouraged, therefore
new economic opportunities will arise.
Bibliography
Bouzek, Jan. "Wooden Architecture: Combining different
techniques". Vol.19, No.19. Croatia: Histria Antiqua, 2010. pp.8387.
Doli, Flamur. Shkolla kosovare e mjeshtrit popullor shqiptar.
Kosovo: Zëri, 1993.
Doli, Flamur. Traditional popular architecture of Kosova. Kosovo:
Flamur Doli, 2001.
Drançolli, Fejaz. Kulla Shqiptare. Kosovo: Rezniqi, 2001.
Drançolli, Fejaz. Destruction of Albanian Kulla. Kosovo:
Rezniqi, 2004.
Institute for Spatial Planinng. Spatial Plan of Kosova 2010 –
2020+. Prishtine: Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning,
2010.
Kojić, Branislav. Seoska arhitektura i rurizam. Beograd:
Gradevinska knjiga, 1973.
Riza, Emin. Qyteti dhe banesa qytetare shqiptare shek. XV-XIX.
Albania: Dita, 2009
Rudofsky, Bernard. Architecture Without Architects: A Short
Story to Non-Pedigreed Architecture. New Mexico: University of
New Mexico Press, 1987. pp.7.
Internet Source:
1. Ministry of Youth and Sport, 2015. http://dtk.rksgov.net/tkk_objekti_en.aspx?id=1259 [Accessed: 03/2015].
Note:
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Wood in Architectonic Identity - An Overview of Wood-based Architecture
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* All photos captured by the author, unless differently
indicated
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